The Long Road to Impact

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Giving Compass’ Take:

· Cabot Brown, CEO of Carabiner LLC, discusses how his passions and career got him involved with social impact. Carabiner LLC is an advisory firm that uses impact investing to cater to the needs of entrepreneurs who are making a difference.

· What advising can companies like Carabiner LLC provide for philanthropic structures? How does impact investing affect economic activity in the US?

In 1987, I completed my studies at HBS and headed west for San Francisco, inspired by every class I took on the topic of entrepreneurship and seeking to make my own mark creating and advancing companies, which has been my career’s work, both as a principal and advisor.

As oft noted, it is not for the faint of heart, this world of startups, but, when a company one helps build does prosper, there is very little in business more gratifying, particularly when one believes firmly in the mission and purpose of the enterprise.

The companies and enterprises with which I have associated over the years have operated in many industries, but I have spent most of my time in the areas of medical sciences, education, and more recently, in sustainability. Without putting a name like “social impact” on these sorts of organizations, core to what they do, by definition, is making a difference in people’s lives.

It is the overlay of this social purpose and the new and evolving sources of social impact capital have led me, over the past year, to build to scale Carabiner LLC, an advisory firm—the third I have helped create—that serves the needs of entrepreneurs making a difference while creating economic success for their owners and backers.

Read the full article about the road to impact by Cabot Brown at Harvard Business School.

In an ideal world, companies would care about people as much as profits.
They would pay and treat their employees and customers fairly, be honest and transparent with them, deliver only products and services that were beneficial to people and the planet, and pay taxes relative to profits.
And so when companies claim to be "socially responsible" or "ethically responsible" while simultaneously hurting their staff and customers, the media and public are rightly skeptical. As we move into an area where technology and new forms of media give citizens more opportunity to voice outrage against immoral and unjust behavior - recall how Starbucks once moved to pay additional taxes after a public outcry - companies will need to actually practice the responsible behavior they preach.
While some are already starting to, part of the problem in gauging how "responsible" a company is that there's a plethora of different concepts and criteria used to judge them.
Read the full article by Nassim Khadem on The Sydney Morning Herald

Looking for a way to get involved?

If you are looking for opportunities to learn and connect with others interested in the topic of Higher Education, take a look at these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities aggregated by Giving Compass.